


Earning the Name

by swimbfly



Series: The Moon in Elsewhere [3]
Category: Elsewhere University (Webcomic)
Genre: Aromantic Character, Asexual Character, Fae & Fairies, Fae Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2021-01-02 18:23:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21166097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swimbfly/pseuds/swimbfly
Summary: The name of the goddess carries responsibility. Artemis sees if she lives up to it.





	Earning the Name

There are stairs in the forest surrounding Elsewhere. Broken stairs, new stairs, wooden stairs, and stone stairs. Stairs the follow paths, stairs that mark the end of trails and stairs that lead upwards or downwards to nowhere. Stairs spiraling in the center of a clearing, ending many feet over your head but not leading to any platform. Stairs that go down, down, down into the earth only to lead you to a wall of stone and dirt. There are rumors that surround these stairs, myths and legends, stories bartered between students late into the night, but those who know where these stairs lead do not barter, do not listen. For these stairs lead everywhere and nowhere, often at the same time. This is where we find our heroine, our villainess, our protagonist, our Artemis tonight, standing at the foot of one of those stairs.

She sighed looking up the stairs, her weapons of iron and salt ready at her side. She looked to her right and there leaning against a tree was Phoebus. 

"If you're here to tell me to turn back, you can save your breath," Artemis said dryly.

"Do I look that stupid?" Phoebus said pushing off from the tree trunk. "But I am wondering what you think you are going to accomplish? And why?"

"How about a bargain?" Artemis asked causing their eyes to widen in surprise then narrow just as quickly. "I answer your questions about my actions and plan for tonight in exchange for you not harming my chances for reaching my goal."

Phoebus studied her, their eyes narrowed and searching before reaching out a hand. “Deal.”

Artemis carefully reached out and shook the other’s hand keeping her iron and salt away from their skin.

“My students had a bargain with me, they follow the rules of my classroom, I treat them with respect, and I help them in any way reasonable for my position. When all of my classes, all of my students, even those who are more Else then not, disappear, I have to do something.” Artemis said.

“That explains the why,” Phoebus said. “But not what you hope to do. You are not the first to use a bargain with your students in hopes to protect them, but you don’t have the power that the other who did behind them.”

“Who do you think inspired me?” Artemis said looking at the fae, “she cannot speak about her actions but even the walls of Elsewhere tell her story.” Phoebus looked put out by this but held their tongue. “I did not choose the name of the huntress to hide when those who are promised to my care need help.”

“Ok.” Phoebus said after a moment.

“OK?’ Artemis said looking at them quizzically.

“Our deal means, I can’t stop you and you obviously have your mind made up. I was just curious as to what your plan is,” they said with a shrug. “So, go for it.”

Artemis looked at them confused for a moment then turned and stepped onto the stairs. The first few steps where quiet, nothing unexpected for the forest in Elsewhere but the farther she climbed, the world began to warp; by the time she reached what should’ve been the top based on the staircase she could see and count in the forest, it was obvious she had left their bubble of reality. The air felt different, a heavy feeling that weighed on her and made it difficult to breathe. A weight that felt like it was dragging her, overall an oppressive presence. 

She kept walking and after a few more stairs, she heard a sound behind her and spun around. There climbing up behind her was Phoebus, when they fully stepped on the ‘top’ step, the one where she realized she had left Elsewhere behind something changed in them. Their glamour seemed to slide off them, like a statue being revealed from behind a curtain. Instead of the vaguely human shape, they now looked like the sun forced into a bipedal form, then covered in a foliage armor. Looking at them straight on hurt, they weren’t emitting light, but for some reason, she was sure they could if they so choose and their armor, wooden, branching, and green seemed to be living. Their facial features seemed almost shifting to the point where she could not get a clear idea of what their true face would look like.

She took a step back, stumbling and almost falling as her foot struck the stair behind her. They looked down at her, tilting their head, causing the sound of wood creaking. She cringed slightly at the noise. Phoebus looked at her and she could tell that they were confused before they looked down.

“Oh, of course.” they said before their features shifted again and once again, they were the individual that she recognized from campus. “are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“Most don’t find my appearance frightening,” they said disapprovingly.

“You just startled me. I hadn’t realized you had followed me.” Artemis said with a huff. “Now I need to find my students.”

Phoebus inclined their head in agreement and the pair continued up the stairs. As they walked, she could hear music and murmurs in the spaces around the path, but she kept her eyes forward on the stairs and kept climbing. Phoebus remained a few steps behind curious of how she knew where she was going. It felt like they were walking for miles and miles, but the light never changed, never brighter or darker, the air remained still and thick and the murmurs and low haunting music never changed, not closer or farther away.

Finally, the stairway gave way to a clearing, a court. Along the edges, her students were lined up staring blankly into the middle; at the center, two fae were waiting for her. She was sure there were more waiting in the shadows as the murmurs and music suddenly cut off and even Phoebus froze. Artemis, on the other hand, walked back straight and head held high.

“You came for your...bears.” one of the fae figures stated calmly.

“Really, bears? That’s not even a common reference,” Artemis sputtered caught off guard before regaining composure after a moment. “I am here for those who have made an agreement with me, my students. By holding them here, you are preventing them from fulfilling their end of the bargain.”

“Those bargains do not hold power here, human.” the other fae said dismissively. “Bargains between humans have no power in Elsewhere. We have prevented that.”

Artemis looked down, Phoebus was the only one to notice the self-satisfied smirk on her face; she recomposed herself and looked back up at the others her face blank again.

“You say that bargains between humans have no power in Elsewhere, yet some of my students are not human, at least not fully and if you look at the agreement signed if one of such students signed it applied for all of my students. All of them signed it. Therefore, none of the agreements were made between humans and I would like ALL of my students back, your Highness.” She replied loudly. 

The murmurs around the clearing rose again, near-deafening this time. Pressure built in the clearing focused on the trio, but Artemis stood her ground. Even as it felt like her head was going to explode from the pressure, as the other students crumpled their hands covering their ears even through the spell they were under, she stood tall and calm her gaze forward. This continued until one form from the shadows, a weak young thing leapt out toward her. 

She was thrown sideways and landed in a heap. In front of her was a figure made of shifting text. Guarding her. Holding the attacker down with one jagged claw. 

Artemis slowly stood drawing her sword carefully and staring at the figure protecting her. A glance to the stairway showed Phoebus watching them too. Their hand on their sword as well. The fae at the center of the clearing no longer looked so dismissive looking at the trio in the center.

“The Guardian?” Someone asked from the shadows.

“The guardian is guarding her?” another voice asked. 

“Deals need to be honored.” The creature of text growled. “Allies…friends will be aided.”

The fae at the center and Phoebus looked at Artemis eyes wide. She raised her head slightly and look the fae in the center in the eye.

“My students.” She said coolly. “And call off your disciple.”

The fae in the center nodded and gestured around the clearing. Like a bunch of puppets with their strings cut her students fell in place. As the Guardian growled and she stepped forward adjusting the grip on her sword. The fae in the center stepped back raising its hands. 

“They are unharmed, they will wake in a few moments and they can follow you from our realm. Some advice freely given, be cautious of who you are pledging your loyalty to and who owes loyalty to you. There is more going on in Elsewhere than you know of.” With that note, the fae stepped back into the shadows and disappeared. The sensation of being watched faded as well. The young fae the Guardian was holding dissolved into the clearing and Artemis, Phoebus, and the Guardian were left alone in the clearing.

Artemis looked around the clearing before sheathing her sword, “So what now?”

“You get your students out of here and ideally don’t come back.” Phoebus advised. The Guardian nodded in agreement. Artemis sighed.


End file.
